Heart of Anemone
by Raphael Antonello
Summary: Life has never been very kind to little Sucy. From the day she was born, she has always been alone, an outcast among outcasts. It's as plain as the anemone that blooms for her chest that Sucy will only bring bad luck and illness to everyone around her. But maybe, just maybe, Sucy will find a certain red-eyed angel just for her...
1. Child of Anemone

Edit #1 (7/30/18): Oh my gosh. I want to make a public apology to everyone who read this story so far. I was unaware of the formatting issue that plagued this chapter submission until now. I apologize for the inconvenience and hope it has not turned anyone off this story. This is what I get for releasing this over mobile, I suppose.

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A long, long time ago in a land not unlike the Emerald Isles, there was a country known as Bláth. Bláth was a small and humble country, poor in wealth but rich in spirit. Bláth was filled with many people, who would greet the day and bright sun with great big smiles, breath in the clear air and laugh freely. It was a peaceful land. It was a good land.

And everyone was happy.

Bláth was a country of warmth and colors. Many of its fields stretched from end to end with flowers of every shape and size. There were daises and marigolds and petunias and roses and many, many more. Each day, children would play in the fields, skipping stones and jumping rope and whooping and hollering to the golden sun. Even on rainy days, when the precious sun was hidden by a curtain of clouds, they found occasion to play in the forests, playing hide-and-seek among the shadows and trees. They would open their arms to accept the rain, grateful for the life-giving rain to nourish their Flowers.

And everyone was happy.

Perhaps it was this happiness and love that made Bláth magical, because upon the breast of every man, woman, and child, there grew a flower. Everyone had a Flower Heart, where their strongest emotions and greatest desires laid plain and open for everyone to see. Men were valued for their devoted hearts of edelweiss and their ambitious hollylocks, and who could resist a charming jasmine? Women with sunflowers were adored, and everyone celebrated the eternal yarrow. There was no fear of lies or treachery here, for who could hide their Flower Heart from the eyes of the golden sun? Truly, there was no greater and safer land than the country of flowers, Bláth.

And everyone was happy.

In the country of Bláth, there was a little girl named Sucy. Little Sucy had a head of hyacinth, eyes of poppy, and teeth like rose thorns. She was discovered upon the doorstep of the Lotus Home for Wayward Children, cold and alone in this great, big world. She grew up in the orphanage, surrounded by children of lilac, chives, and basil. Oh, how the children of Lotus loved to laugh and play. Whether they played hop-scotch in the Yard out back, searched the Caillte Forest for the fairies of legends old, or waved forth their wands around and cast spells in the northern field, the children of Lotus were a merry bunch and ever hopeful to be adopted.

But no one ever wanted to play with little Sucy, lonely Sucy, creepy Sucy, for upon her chest was a Heart of Anemone. Wherever the little girl went, trouble seemed to follow on her heels, sprouting out like a poisonous fungus to suffocate and paralyze all who crossed her path. Everyone knew about the rumors, of how she bit the wet nurse until the skin broke and she drank in the blood; of how she collected horrid penny buns instead of good ol' dandelions; of how she stuffed oleanders under the pillows and sheets of other orphans. No one wanted to be little Sucy's friend in the warm Lotus Home, and deep inside her hollow chest, Sucy felt cold.

Alone in the Lotus Home, Sucy was not happy.

The only thing that ever brought a smile to Sucy's face were mushrooms and her potions. While the other children wasted their lives chasing figments and daydreams, she worked hard to craft potions of invisibility, of silence and secret-keeping, of sleep and death. She worked under the Bridge of Caillte Forest, next to the crossroads that connected the Lotus Home to the rest of Bláth. That bridge was Sucy's safe haven, the only place in the world where she was free to be herself. There, she could find peace in her solitude and joy in her only love.

Until one day, on her 10th birthday, an angel descended upon little Sucy.

Sucy never cared for birthdays. With so many children under its roof, the Lotus Home seemed to always be celebrating someone's birthday, blowing up obnoxious balloons and hanging painfully bright streamers for some dopey faced orphan. What was the point? Why did anyone care? No one ever came to Sucy's birthdays, so surely they weren't important.

So to escape from that waste of time, Sucy hid out by the Bridge of Caillte Forest, tucked away in the shadows by the riverside. She was counting her mushrooms when a tapping came on her shoulder.

"What? Who are–?" Sucy started to say, only for the words to die in her throat. Cloaked in the gleaming sunlight, a brown-haired angel smiled at Sucy, her eyes as vibrant as her Heart of Holly. Outstretched in one hand was a bouquet of purple foxglove, the half-wilted petals flaking off into the nearby river, dancing on the water.

"Here, for you! They match your pretty hair, don't you think?" The angel said. She bounced on the spot, flaking off more petals. "Happy birthday! Sorry for missing your awesome party, I shouldn't have overslept! I won't miss another one, I promise!"

The angel extended her other hand, whose skin was soft and pearly as lilies. "The name's Atsuko, but call me Akko! Nice to meet'cha!"

The pink-haired Sucy stared at the hand. She stared at the angel Akko, who was full of warmth and light. She took her hand. "Sucy."

On that day, Sucy decided birthdays might not be so bad.

Ever since then, her angel Akko was always by Sucy's side. They ate breakfast together, they attended classes together, and they slept in beds next to each other. The angel would blabber on for hours about Shiny Chrysanthemum and her dream to become just like her, and Sucy would experiment potions on her angelic guinea pig until her face went blue. Over time, Akko drew other orphans to her side like an extra noisy magnet of cheerfulness, but Akko always remained Sucy's angel and best friend.

Sure, they didn't always act like it: Sucy and her angel would argue and fight sometimes, but it was impossible to stay mad forever. Lotte, a friend to Akko, would always talk her down, and Sucy could never hate her angel. Whether the dumb angel came to Sucy, tears gushing from her eyes like waterfalls, Sucy would always open her arms and hug her wet angel. In moments like that, Sucy felt butterflies flutter in her chest, and she didn't know why.

Sucy felt these butterflies the most whenever the angelic Akko practiced her magic. The holly-hearted angel, as dumb as she was, spent hours each week trying to cast even the simplest of spells. The angel would flick her wand around, dancing circles in the Yard until her face turned red, desperate to get more than the pitiful emerald sparkles that trickled out. Often, the angel would throw her wand and stomp away in frustration, shouting that its broken or defective; sometimes she would sit down on the grass and cry, hurting Sucy's ears; but on one or two occasions, the angelic Akko would grow quiet and simply stare at nothing, as if none of it mattered at all. Whenever she saw Akko's face grow empty and cold like that, Sucy's chest would clench tight like a vice.

So, when the angel cast her first spell, no one felt more proud of her than Sucy. The way the brown-haired angel twirled and danced around the Yard, giggling as she waved a bouquet of pink wisteria in the air, made a rare smile crack on Sucy's face. Only her angel could get Sucy to smile like this: a smile small enough to not arouse the attention of this cold, indifferent world, but sincere all the same. It filled Sucy up with warmth she never knew before, and she had never been happier.

But even Sucy didn't expect it when her angel ran up to her, holding out the pink flowers.

"Sucy, look look! I made it, my very first spell!" the angel said, beaming like the sun.

Akko was only inches from Sucy's face, their noses almost touching, only a hairs breadth away. to... to... to do what? Sucy didn't know why, but she felt an unfamiliar desire to lean forward, to close the distance between them and truly know her angel. The all-too-familiar butterflies, on the other hand, beat their wings stronger than ever before.

Slowly, Sucy nodded her head.

"Y-yeah. Nice flowers."

"Well?"

"What?" Sucy said, the butterflies threatening to burst out of her chest.

"Take them! They're for you, silly!"

Sucy blinked. She glanced at the flowers, then back to her angel.

"Huh?"

The angel rolled her eyes and giggled. "Well, you are my first and best friend, so I thought my first spell should be for you! I want to make the whole world smile with my magic, and the very first person I want to see smile is you!"

Sucy didn't speak. She didn't know what to say. Her face was still, a silent mask. Quietly, gently, she took the flowers from the angel.

The angelic Akko pouted. "Daw, you didn't smile. I guess I'll just have try harder next time."

And away her angel flew to practice, flailing her wand around to get even the tiniest bit of magic out. Sucy watched the angel in her practice, the flowers clenched tight between her fingers. The butterflies beat so hard in her chest.

That day, Sucy understood what love was/p


	2. Daughter of Anemone

Sucy could no longer deny it: she was in love with her angel, Akko Kagari. But what could she do? How should Sucy react to this discovery? Sucy had never loved anyone before, and no one loved her, so she drowned in a bottomless sea, tossed to and fro while cold reality filled her throat and burned her lungs, barely keeping her head above the harsh waters. After that day, whenever she saw Akko, Sucy felt the butterflies beat so strongly that her stomach went sick, her breath short and heart racing. She clenched her Heart of Anemone like a life raft, which burned like Saint Elmo's fire with her love.

If Akko saw Sucy's Flower Heart, she would know in an instant Sucy's feelings for her. What would happen then? Sucy knew Akko to be a true friend in that funny, almost angelic way of hers, but what if she didn't love Sucy back? How could she, when this accursed anemone clung so tightly to Sucy's breast, spreading its ill fortunes and disease? Akko already was an unlucky girl with her poor magic and clumsiness; if her angel grew any closer to Sucy, surely Akko would only suffer more. Would Akko still smile at Sucy the same way if that happened?

No. Of course she would not, and that belief filled Sucy's body with ice until even the butterflies froze over.

Sucy would just have to swallow her love down and snuff out these wretched butterflies like a candlelit flame at midnight. Everything would be fine if they remained as friends, and only friends. They could remain together forever this way, and it would make her angel the happiest. Wasn't it noble to sacrifice for your true love? That's what all the storybooks said. This way, the ache in Sucy's chest would eventually cease, her Flower Heart would no long burn, and while Sucy's hand might want to worm its way and hold her angel's warm hands, she could never reach out.

So why, oh why did it still hurt when Akko approached that blond girl with that big, dopey grin of hers?

The blond was a noble, the heir apparent to the illustrious Cavendish family. Every summer, the capital of Bláth was ravaged by an outbreak of cholera or plague, driving the royal family and gentry out to the countryside, safe in their country estates. This year, however, the Cavendish family did not leave unscathed: the plague claimed the life of Lady Bernadette, the head of the Cavendishes. It was expected for Bernadette's younger sister to lead the Cavendishes for now, but only Diana Cavendish would inherit the seat as the family's matriarch. Rumor spread fast in the small country, and even Sucy knew that Lady Bernadette's only daughter now wore a mantle far too heavy for shoulders so small.

Every day that summer, the young Cavendish left her family's country estate to wander in the northern fields. She would sit underneath the old oak tree atop Honeysuckle Hill, watching the orphans wave their wands around and cast their spells. No one approached her, and no one spoke to her, for which commoner would dare befriend a noble Cavendish? No one ever got close enough to see the dullness in the young girl's eyes, or see her closed Heart of hydrangea, as if all the color in her world had bled out, or hear her whisper aloud to herself from dawn to dusk.

No one, save for Akko.

"Hiya, name's Akko!" Sucy's holly-heartful angel said. "I heard yah whispering spells to yourself, and I was just wondering, do you know about Shiny Chrysanthemum?"

The young Cavendish was slow to answer at first, but gently she opened up. To little Akko's joy, the Cavendish daughter did know of her hero, and was indeed a fan. The two girls burned that first day away, chatting on-and-on about Shiny Chrysanthemum, talking about their friends and family, and by nightfall played in the northern fields with their magic. For the first time in months, a smile cracked on the young Cavendish's face and a touch of color returned to her Flower Heart.

All this and more, Sucy watched from afar. Sucy knew that look in her angel Akko's eyes: it was that same look Akko had when they first met, when Sucy's world became so much brighter. She watched Akko play with the young Cavendish, and felt in her Heart that a serpent had wrapped its coils around her beloved angel. The butterflies were deathly still, and the hollowness in Sucy's chest ached only as much as the burning that threatened to set her Flower Heart aflame.

The sun fell and the moon rose, again and again. The angel and the serpent played more and more, casting spells, playing in the northern fields, and riding their brooms. Akko had yet to learn how to fly, so the serpent took her on flights, soaring above the trees and buildings, higher than Akko had ever flown before, too high for Sucy to reach. With the serpent's charming ways, Akko grew better and better at magic with each passing day, and the serpent's Heart of hydrangea opened once more.

The two were thick as thieves, and could not be happier.

It sickened Sucy. The pink-haired witch could do little more than watch her beloved angel be whisked away by the serpent. Whenever Akko offered Sucy to join them on an adventure, Sucy came up with an excuse and shuffled off quickly, lest her angel see the burning passion in Sucy's Heart of anemone. Without a fight, without even a word of displeasure or anger, a chasm slowly grew between the two friends, threatening to swallow up their friendship whole.

The final nail in the coffin came on the last day of summer, the day the serpent was due to return to the capital. The serpent had made other friends at the Lotus home, the red-haired Hannah and the black-haired Barbara, who cried and embraced the serpent at her farewell party. Akko had dragged Sucy along, who covered her Flower Heart with a potions textbook.

"W-we're gonna miss you!" Hannah said, her voice choked with emotion.

"We, we'll write to you every day! Promise!" Barbara said, tears rolling down her face.

Diana patted both of their heads, a wistful smile on her face. "There there, girls, its not like I'm going away forever. I'll be back again next summer."

After they wiped snot away with their sleeves, the two girls looked up with sparkling tears in the corners of their eyes. "Y-You mean it?"

"Of course. I could never leave you two behind. You are my..." Diana stopped, her throat tight. She took a deep breath, and continued. "Cherished friends. Even if you're adopted, I promise to find a way to get in touch. On my name as a Cavendish."

"D-Diana!"

That's when Sucy's nightmare became a reality. Once Hannah and Barbara shuffled off, Akko approached the serpent from behind and tugged on her shirt. When the serpent turned, Akko held out her wand. A pink wisteria popped out, and with bated breath, Sucy watch her angel hand the wisteria to the serpent.

It was too much. Simply too much. Her butterflies stirred a whirlwind inside Sucy, turning her stomach inside and out. Silently, Sucy sneaked out the back with the grace of a ghost, and when she was far enough way to not make a sound, she broke out into a run.

Sucy ran. She ran and she ran and she ran. She ran from the Lotus Home, her prison. She ran from Akko, her angel and best friend. She ran from her cursed Heart of anemone, even as its petals burned so hard to be glowing.

Into the Caillte Forest, Sucy went. When she reached the Bridge, she crossed over the stream; not even here could Sucy find sanctuary, for it was tainted with memories both fond and dear. Sucy needed a new place, a safe place: somewhere where no one could follow her.

Sucy reached the crossroads...

... and stepped into the Forest of Croí.

Here, all the trees were black and knotted, their barren branches reaching up to a starless night. A fog thick as mushroom soup hugged the loamy earth, leaving the ground moist and slippery. All was silent here, save for the thumping of Sucy's feet, which echoed on and on into the distance. The forest stretched out in every direction, as big and dark and dire as the soul.

It was the Forest of Croí, the forest of damp, of disease, of death and shadows. And, of course, light.

The only source of light in the Forest of Croí was the moon, which hung close and swollen to the earth, as if it might burst full of moonlight and flood the forest and everything in an endless tsunami. It was this moon that eventually drew Sucy's eye, and feet sore and lungs breathless, she fell to her knees in a pasture of heliotropes. Sucy cried out wordlessly to the moon, like she did all those years ago upon that cold doorstep.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. Sucy was born with nothing in this world. She was born to be alone. Why was she born this way? Why was she a freak, an outcast, a child of anemone? She only wanted a friend, something to love and be loved. After years of suffering, didn't the universe own that much to Sucy? She had found it, she found a flickering flame to huddle close to in the cold darkness of the world. Sucy needed Akko, needed her angel. She not only needed her, but she deserved her. Who was this serpent, this parasite to steal her flame? Sucy's Flower Heart burned bright in the darkness, and above her, the moon seemed to glow.

Without warning, Sucy felt a blade of silver pierce her chest. The pink-haired girl bent over, her stomach clenching. The butterflies spun a hurricane from their furious wings. Sucy's throat burned as if she swallowed a red-hot poker. In the silence of the dark forest, the only sound was Sucy's sharp cries and the wet, organic sound of her vomiting her guts out.

Out poured butterflies. Dozens upon dozens of butterflies flew from Sucy's mouth like a maelstrom, flapping their red-and-blue wings as they escaped from their cage. They soared into the sky and into forest, filling the air with their lustrous beauty. And after the last butterfly parted from Sucy's lips, a strange creature tumbled out and fell to misty ground with a wet plop.

The creature, covered from head to toe in spit and other fluids, recovered quickly. Drying itself off, it rose in the air and floated just above Sucy's head.

The creature had pink-hair and red eyes. It wore a frock made of daylily and bonnet made of bleeding-heart. Blue-and-red wings beat gently from its back. The creature looked down at Sucy, its thin lips parted to reveal teeth like thorns. If not for the wings, Sucy might imagine the creature a miniature version of herself.

"Rejoice, child, rejoice!" The fairy said. "For I am your fairy godmother. I have watched you long and hard, little Sucy. I have seen your dreams and despair, your joys and sorrows, and I am here to make it all better!"

Sucy stared at the strange fairy that had emerged from her. The fairy twinkled her wings. Sucy outreached her palms. Taking the offer, the fairy landed in her hands. Sucy smiled. The fairy smiled.

Then Sucy shoved the fairy head first into her mouth. Her voice muffled by her victim, Sucy said, "I wasn't born yesterday, you fairy creep! No one gives things away for free! I don't know how or why you're here, but if you came outta me, you're going back where you belong!"

"Oh no, stop child! Please desist! This is so gross and weird and wrong!"

After a moment more of struggling, Sucy spat the half-devoured fairy out. Wiping her clothes clean, the fairy continued its message from a nearby branch, just outside of Sucy's arm reach.

"My beloved Sucy, despite what you believe, I am truly your fairy godmother. I beg your forgiveness: I could not come until your truly needed me, in your Heart. Look upon your own breast, and you will see it to be true."

Indeed, on Sucy's chest, her Flower Heart had closed up. Sucy had never seen that happen before. The fairy floated over to Sucy and patted the Flower Heart.

"Only once your Heart of anemone is closed may I appear." The fairy gave a wink. "And now, I shall help you win the love you so rightfully deserve!"

"... right." Sucy said, eyes narrowed. "Let's say I believe you. How are we gonna do that? That serpent's got Akko wrapped in her clutches. Even when she leaves, I bet Akko will get all lonely without her. I cannot stand to see Akko pine for that snake for a full year..."

"Silly child." The fairy twinkled again. "All you need to do is share your passion with your angel. That will be enough to claim your prize."

The fairy floated over to the pasture. It looked over the bushes of heliotropes with a discerning eye. It turned from one flower to the next. Finally, when it found a flower to its satisfaction, it plucked it from the earth.

The moment the fairy touched the heliotrope, it hissed and fizzled with magic like a firecracker. The green stem thickened into a white stem, its sepal turned into yellow gills, and its purple petals turned into a purple cap with pink spots. Once the spell was complete, the fairy out a large mushroom in the flower's place. She gave the mushroom to Sucy.

"Feed this mushroom to your angel," said the fairy. "It will open her eyes to the truth, the truth that your fates are interwoven together and what that means.

Sucy looked over the mushroom. She didn't know it from any of her textbooks or experiments. Its pink spots were shaped like hearts, which flickered like a tiny candle. It smelled of damp and the heliotrope, and just a touch of honey.

"Are you sure this will work?" Sucy asked, her voice still doubtful. "I don't want to poison her on accident."

The fairy had a smile like a crescent moon. "Trust me, little Sucy. Once your angel tastes this, she will beholden to you. It will be an awe-inspiring moment of love, that I promise you."

"I see." Sucy gripped the mushroom firmly, careful to not break it. "I know what to do."

"Excellent. I will be with you again tomorrow night, and every night until you have what you deserve, my child."

With that, the fairy disappeared in a twinkle of purple sparkles.

Now that she was alone, Sucy looked round the Forest. It was as empty as ever, but felt almost lighter now; it no longer held the terror it once did. The moon overhead glowed bright, and glancing down, Sucy stared at her Heart of anemone. It remained closed, its petals wrapped up tight and its glow faded.

Good. That was how it should be. Maybe now, Sucy could be free from its curse.

With that, Sucy rose to her knees, and in a single step, left the Forest of Croí: she was back home, in the familiar Caillte Forest. She crossed the bridge again, and with the ease of an unseen specter, returned to the Lotus Home and to her bed. Sucy placed the magical mushroom beneath her pillow, put her head down, and sighed fitfully as she closed her eyes.

Unknown to Sucy, Akko watched Sucy fall to sleep.

0-0-0-0-0

The next morning, the two sat in the cafeteria, toast and eggs before them. There was a silence between them. Then Akko spoke.

"Are you okay, Sucy?" Akko said. Her voice rang like bells in Sucy's ears. "You've been acting funny lately. All summer, really. Like, yesterday, you went and ditched Diana's party, and missed out on the free cake. Free cake, can you believe it? Then you didn't come back home until past midnight.

Akko pouted, eyes narrow. "What's going on with you. You have me worried sick, you know!"

"It was... nothing," Sucy said. She glanced down at her Flower Heart, and felt a twinge of relief that it didn't boldly out her lie. "I had experiments to run, potions to make. I cannot waste my time at a party just for some cake."

"Speaking of which." Sucy cackled softly, shoving down her doubts. "I made a potion, specially for you! You're gonna love it."

Sucy pulled out a vial full of a purple-and-pink potion. At the break of dawn, before Akko woke up, Sucy had grounded up the mushroom and mixed it with an otherwise inert elixir; short of just adding water, it was a perfectly safe way to feed Akko the mushroom. Wearing her tooth-filled grin, Sucy pushed the potion onto Akko. "Here, drink this. It'll give you the power to spit acid or whatever."

Akko pushed away the potion. "Sucy! This isn't time for your experiments!"

She sighed, her eyes wide. "Come on, you can trust me. You can tell me anything, Suce. Whatever it is, I'll listen."

"..." Sucy's Flower Heart slowly began to open, but when the potion gave a faint pink glow, it closed again.

Akko didn't know. How could she ever know? How Sucy loved her, how she longed for her? Sucy couldn't speak the truth, but perhaps this potion could connect them instead? Then, and only then could they be together.

Sucy pushed the elixir potion to Akko, harder this time. "If you're listening, then drink this potion. I promise it won't kill you."

"..." Akko took the potion, eyeing it. She raised an eyebrow. "You really want me to drink this?"

"Yes!" Sucy said, her voice climbing in pitch.

"... well, if it'll make you happy, Suce! Bottom's up!"

With a swirl of the glass, Akko tipped up the vial and drank the potion. She drank it all, without leaving a drop left. She smacked her lips together, grimacing weakly.

"Ugh, tastes like medicine!"

"Do you feel any different?" Sucy sat on the edge of the seat, waiting for the potion to take effect. Would activate right away, or take some time?"

Akko scrunched up her face, and slowly shook her head. "Not really. Mouth tastes like crud, but I feel fine! Sorry that it was a dud. Geez, I gotta get this taste out of my mouth before I lose my breakfast!"

So the fairy had lied to her after all, Sucy thought as she sat back in her seat with a sigh. The mushroom did nothing. To her shame, Sucy found herself disappointed. And yet, in some small way, Sucy felt relief wash over her. If she was bold enough to give Akko a magical love mushroom, perhaps Sucy could work up the courage to truly confess to her?

So the rest of that day, Sucy formed her plan. Hours ticked by as she worked out the kinks and plotted out the perfect confession for Akko. Tomorrow morning, during breakfast, Akko would find a lovely surprise in her scrambled eggs: on top of the yellow surface, written in ketchup would be the simple words, 'I love you, Akko.'

It was so sappy, so maudlin, so mushy that it made Sucy's stomach turn, but it was something that a dreamy-eyed girl like Akko would appreciate, and if there was any mercy in the world, accept. When Sucy laid her head down to sleep that night, she did so with an uneasy mind, but she shoved down her doubts. Whatever Akko's answer, Sucy would just have to learn to accept it, and that was that.

And by the time Sucy finally fell slept, no one was there to see the pink glow coming from Akko's bed.


	3. Déagóir of Anemone

The next day, Akko didn't show up for breakfast. Sucy waited alone with her confessional eggs. She struggled to act normally, eating her meal in silence. The food tasted of sawdust and sat in her gut like a stone. Her eyes wandered every so often to the cafeteria door, hoping any moment now that her dumb angel would burst through in all her magnificent glory, pouring out light from her skin like sunlight after a heavy rain. The scrambled eggs waited at Akko's seat, steam gently rising from them.

The steam wafted more and more gently as time ticked by. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

The eggs went cold.

Her meal done, Sucy rose from her seat, her nerves shot. Her closed Flower Heart trembled on her breast as she went to look for her angel.

"Dammit, Akko, where are you?"

No sooner had Sucy stood up when a bright voice came calling for her.

"Sucy, wait! Wait, Sucy, don't leave!"

With a sharp screech, the cafeteria doors flew open and out ran Akko. The angel dashed up to Sucy, clothes soaked with sweat. Before Sucy could say a word, Akko thrust a full bouquet of flowers into her face.

"Here, for you!" Akko panted, her hair in disarray. "I, hah hah, went flower picking for you! Been up, hah, since before dawn!"

The bouquet, much like Akko herself, was in disarray. The flowers came in every shape and color, each one different from the other. Here was a splash of lavender, several of the petals missing from their abrupt plucking; there was a dash of peony, the pink flowers wilting from the cool autumn air; and sprinkled here and there were yellow rhododendrons, standing bright and stark among the other flowers. It looked as if her angel had picked the flowers without rhyme or reason, only to find as many colorful flowers as possible to make for an over-sized bouquet. When Sucy took the bouquet from Akko, the whole thing nearly unraveled and fell apart in her hands.

"Thank... you?" Sucy said, an eyebrow raised. "What's the occasion?"

That made the angel giggle, rolling her red eyes. "Silly Sucy, there's no need for an occasion! Do I need a reason to show that I love you?"

Sucy's heart skipped a beat. The whole cafeteria faded and melted away in her mind, leaving only her and Akko.

"What did you just say?"

"What? I love you, Sucy. Always and forever, I've loved you." Akko winked at Sucy, as if sharing some conspiratorial secret. "And I know you love me, right?"

Sucy's heart stopped. Could it be? Maybe that fairy wasn't lying through her teeth after all? Maybe this did work out, and this was the one time the world saw fit to give Sucy what she deserved. Dropping the mismatched bouquet on the table, Sucy stepped forward. Akko offered her hands, which Sucy took in her own. Her angel's hands. How long Sucy longed to hold them, to feel the soft, creamy skin on her own; Sucy drew circles on the back of the hands with her thumbs, breaking out into a small smile. Their red eyes connected, and almost as if drawn by some strange magic, the two girls slowly closed the distance between their faces. They puckered their lips, fluttered their eyes shut...

... and Sucy stopped, placing a hand over her angel's mouth.

"Wha-?" Akko said, her voice muffled.

No. Something felt off. Despite how much Sucy wanted to kiss Akko here and now, she felt something was wrong. She peered more closely at Akko, looking her angel from top to bottom.

Her skin was fine, if a little pink from her morning excursion. Her body was warm, not running a fever. Her eyes were as red as ever, neither bloodshot or foggy. Her Flower Heart–

Akko's Flower Heart, the holly upon her chest, was sickly. The spiky-tipped leaves were pale, almost as if out-of-season. The holly berries, which were once as round and bright as Akko's eyes, were wrinkly as raisins. Just looking at the sorry state of the Flower Heart made Sucy wince.

"Akko..." Sucy started. "Are you... did you know that...?"

"Something wrong, Sucy?" Akko asked, as cheerful and brilliant as the sun. That smile was almost painful to look at it. Before Sucy could even ask about poor state of her angel's Flower Heart, the words died in her mouth. Instead, Sucy felt the words warp and change on her tongue, until they mutated into something wholly different.

"Did you know... that I made eggs for you?" Sucy said.

"What, really? That's so nice of you!" Akko said. Sitting down at the table, she quickly cut up the scrambled eggs; whether she noticed the confession or not, her face did not show it. With a piece of scrambled egg on the fork, she held it out to Sucy.

"Say 'Aaah!'"

"... aaah," Sucy said, before Akko stuffed the egg into her waiting mouth.

The pink-haired witch let her angel feed her the scrambled eggs, helpless to stop her angel from spooning piece after piece into her mouth. Akko never took a single bite, giving it all to Sucy.

The rest of the day went much like that: Akko clung to Sucy's side, carried her books, opened doors for her, and even handed fresh toilet paper to her in the bathroom. That big, dopey grin never left Akko's face and she was never without a kind word for Sucy.

"Oh Sucy, your hair is so pretty! Here, let me brush it!"

"Sucy, you're the best at potions! You can test them on me anytime, even if its poison!"

"Wow, your hands are so pale and clammy, Sucy! Mind if I hold them for a while?"

Sucy Sucy Sucy, the pink-haired witch never thought she'd hate the sound of her own name so much. In her mind's eye, tiny Akkos pinwheeled around her head, proclaiming their undying love and devotion to her, calling out her name until echoed between her ears. All this love, all this attention was great, but it was too much too soon. Sucy needed her space, room to breath and collect her thoughts. Not only that, but Akko's behavior felt weird. Given the state of her Flower Heart, Akko should be bedridden, but she was healthy as ever.

Sucy was never one to trust her instincts, because at heart she was a witch of reason and logic, but maybe this one time, she would listen to her gut instincts. It wasn't clear what was wrong with Akko, but Sucy had a damn good idea what caused it. She had to see a fairy about this...

At the end of the day, Sucy sent Akko out to find a rare Elanor flower. No such flower existed, but Akko didn't need to know that. After escaping to the Lotus Home's attic, Sucy took a moment to breath a sigh of relief.

There was a twang of silver strings being plucked, and in a burst of purple sparkles that lit up the dark attic, the fairy appeared. It floated over head, frowning down at the hiding Sucy, who stilled her racing heart; she wouldn't give the fairy the satisfaction of surprising her.

"Whatever are you doing, little Sucy? Why would you ever hide from your angel, your beacon of light, your incandescent sun in this cold, dark world?" The fairy spoke. Its pace was measured and words polite, but icicles grew from its tone. On some instinctual level, Sucy knew that if she spoke out of turn, those icicles were liable to break off, and would show no mercy for whomever's head they fell upon.

"I just wanted Akko to love me," Sucy said. She crossed her arms, unable to look the fairy in the eye. "But she's smothering me. I can barely breath with her crowding me so tightly."

"Is that so wrong? Perhaps this is how your angel shows her love?" The fairy said. It flew closer to Sucy, until it could almost reach out and touch her nose. "Do you have the right to tell her how to act? She might think you ungrateful and grow cross. Perhaps an argument might break out, and who knows how that might turn out."

"... really?" Sucy folded her legs, hugging them to her body. The image of an angry Akko crossed her mind, burning like a fire brand; many were the times that Akko got upset with Sucy, usually for an experiment gone wrong or a prank she pulled on her, but how would that change now that Akko loved her? Would Akko give Sucy the cold shoulder, turning her angelic light from Sucy? Would her anger bubble even more, like a potion ready to explode? Would she... would she stop loving her? The image made Sucy weak, and she looked to the fairy for guidance. "You think so?"

"I know so." The fairy flew over and rested on her folded knees. "Love is a mercurial thing, little Sucy. It turns hot and cold, just like the seasons. You'd be best to keep on your angel's good side, lest she turn into a demon."

"... I see." Sucy gulped hard. "A-and what about her Flower Heart? I feel like that mushroom had something to do with it. If it gets any sicker, Akko might get sick too."

The fairy shrugged. "Oh, that's simply a side effect of the mushroom. It's only temporary, you won't need to worry about it for much longer."

Those butterfly wings fluttered, and rising off the knees, the fairy kissed Sucy on the forehead.

"You worry too much, little Sucy. Just don't think about it. "Soon enough you will have the Akko you want, the one you deserve."

"If you say so."

The fairy giggled, and with another twang of strings, it disappeared. Sucy was left alone again, up in the attic. When it got dark and the moon shined below on Bláth, Sucy found her way down again. Before she could so much as reach bed, however, Akko jumped onto her back.

"Caught you!" Akko said, giggling happily. She wrapped both arms around Sucy's neck, almost riding atop the taller girl. "Naughty Sucy! It's no fair, hiding away from me like that! I got worried sick."

"S-Sorry!" Sucy spurted out. Oh no, was her angel already mad with her? Were they going to have a fight? "I-I won't do it again!"

"You sure won't! 'Cause I'm gonna keep a close eye on you from now on, silly! Oh, that's right!" Akko rummaged in her back pocket, sticking a tongue out in concentration. "I found that thing you wanted. See?"

With a flourish, Akko pulled out a flower from her pocket. It was damaged slightly, the stem bent and the sepal peeling off, but the flower was otherwise intact. The flower had gold and orange petals, the gold petals full and flush like the sun and the orange petals thin and wispy like lady fingers. Its core was a deep red like a human heart, ripe of blood. The petals were smooth to the touch like velvet and shone with an incandescence that Sucy had never known before. It was a beautiful flower, a glorious flower, and it brought a tear to Sucy's eyes.

"Akko, I don't..."

"I couldn't find an Elanor flower like you asked." Akko explained. "I couldn't find anything about them in that big book of potions of yours, and I didn't know what it looked like. I'm sorry. I hope this one will work instead."

Akko tapped her fingers together, a blush on her faintly. For a moment, her Flower Heart looked as bright and healthy as it ever had.

"I'm not terribly smart. I'm not good at a lot of things, like magic or book reading. I'm sorry you got stuck with a big ol' dumbie dumb like me for a g-gi-girl... friend who is a girl!" For the first time that day, Sucy saw a faint trace of a frown on Akko's face. The girl stared at the floor, biting her lip. Then she sucked in a big gulp of air, and pressed on. "B-but...! I promise, I'll try to be a good friend who is a girl! It'll be the one thing I'm good at, I promise! I might still make a lot of mistakes, but if its for you Sucy, I'll do it."

Akko smiled, her eyes as healthy as the holly berries on her chest. "If it is for you, Sucy, I'll do it. I love you, and I forgive you."

That last part caught Sucy off guard. "Forgive me? For what?"

"What?" Akko said, her smile growing dopey again.

"What? What you just said!"

"Did I say something? I don't recall!"

"But..."

The Flower Heart of holly had returned to its sickly state again. Sucy stared at it.

She felt things would get worse before they got better.

0-0-0-0-0

In time, the moon set and the sun rose, together forever in their celestial dance. Unable to sleep that night, Sucy watched from her bed as the moon disappeared from view, hiding away from the light. If there was anything Sucy loved as much as her angel and her beautiful sun, it was the moon. She felt a strange kinship with the white orb, alone in the cold void of space, standing out among the normal stars. It was always there in the background, watching the Earth with its lone eye; whatever light it reflected, it was only due to the sun. They were truly a pair, the sun and moon, and for a brief, desperate moment, Sucy wished she could dance alongside them.

But that was foolish thinking, so when the rooster gave its first crow, Sucy rose to begin the day.

The second day was much like the first: through all their daily routines, Akko stuck to Sucy's side, her dazzling glow washing over Sucy like waves of molten gold, both magnificent and stunning. Her angel helped Sucy get dressed, polished her shoes, pulled out her chair, and accepted disgusting potions without complaint. Anytime Sucy needed to sneeze, Akko was there with a tissue box and glass of cold water. Anytime Sucy needed a mushroom, Akko was already knee-deep in Caillte Forest to find it. Akko was the perfect girlfriend, willing to do anything and everything for Sucy, and always with a smile on her face.

So why did Sucy still feel something was wrong?

"You know, you can say 'no' sometimes," Sucy said, while she worked beneath the Bridge of Caillte, tucked in her safe haven. Akko sat cross-legged several feet away, tapping her knees along to some wordless song she hummed to herself. "Or ask me for something. A favor doesn't bother me so much if its you asking."

"But I don't want anything!" Akko said, still humming. "So long as I have you, I don't need anything else."

Sucy squinted her eyes. No, that wasn't true. If Sucy was completely honest with herself, Akko was a pretty selfish person. Akko didn't steal or cheat or crave what other people had, but Akko thrust herself into her goals with a single-mindedness that defied logic and reasoning. She had dragged Sucy along dozens of escapades that often landed them and their friend Lotte in hot water, all because Akko got an idea in her peanut-sized brain. Akko was a girl with a good heart and good intentions, but her pursuit of that often came at a cost.

The day Akko didn't want anything was the day Sucy turned into a dragon.

"Riiight," Sucy said. She looked at Akko's Flower Heart, which was as sickly as yesterday. "Have you been eating right? Your holly is looking under the weather."

Akko shrugged. "Eh, not really. Funny thing, ever since yesterday morning, I haven't had an appetite at all! Kinda thirsty though."

So Akko really was sick? Sucy knew that the human body could last days without food, but a thin girl like Akko surely needed to eat.

"Then why don't you drink some water?" Sucy asked. Akko smiled that dumb grin of hers.

"Do you want me to drink?"

Sucy stared at Akko. Was she serious?

"You don't need my permission to drink, Akko."

Was it just her, or did Akko look a little glassy right now? "But that could take away from my time with you, Sucy! It's bad enough I slept last night, so I don't wanna waste anymore time with silly things like eating or drinking."

Akko snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up with fresh inspiration. "Oh, I know! Sucy, want me to cut out sleeping too? I can spend the whole night watching you sleep, making sure you're all warm and cozy in bed, and protecting you from any dangers like burglars or bed bugs or the boogie man."

Okay, it was about time they stepped off the crazy train to Loonyville.

"Akko," Sucy said in a careful tone, the same tone used for escaped mental patients. "You can still sleep. And drink too. I don't want you passing out from dehydration."

"You're right!" Akko snapped her fingers. "If I did that, then I couldn't feed you my meals! Gosh, you're so smart, Sucy. That's why I love you so so so much!"

Sucy just sighed. Clearly they had to sit down and talk about this more, but if this made her angel happy... Sucy wouldn't prod too much. She didn't want Akko to get angry with her. Besides, the dumb angel would have to eat sometime, right? No way Akko would just starve herself to make Sucy happy.

Right?

0-0-0-0-0

Days past, but much of it went the same: Akko was at Sucy's beck and call, doing backflips to fulfill her every little need. Many times, Sucy had to tell Akko to do basic necessities, but her angel only ate one or two bites each meal, would only bathe alongside Sucy to scrub her back, and when they slept, Sucy felt eyes staring at her so hard that neither got much sleep. Akko was in Sucy's every waking thought, slowly driving the pink-haired girl insane.

It all came to a head a week later, when Akko knocked on the bathroom door for their daily wash. After swallowing a sigh, Sucy threw open the door to let her angel in. Her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

Akko, as usual, was dressed for the occasion: she wore a tasteful one-piece bathing suit with a pink towel. Mercifully, Akko had chosen to wear that on her own; Sucy had never blushed so hard when Akko showed up the first time, afraid her angel had chosen something less chaste. However, Akko wore something new this time: a purple mushroom was growing alongside her Flower Heart.

The mushroom was small with a conical cap, almost like an unopened umbrella. It had pink spots on its cap shaped like hearts and smelled of dusk and damp; the stench clung to Akko like a mist of miasma. The heart-shaped spots flickered with a pink, ethereal glow. It rested gently, but firmly alongside the sprig of holly, which had yellow leaves and berries as wrinkled as raisins.

While Sucy struggled to pull her jaw off the floor, Akko stepped into the bathroom, humming off-key. She threw the towel aside, turned on the tap, and squeezed some soap into her hands.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Akko said, rubbing soap between her hands. "If you don't hurry, I'll start the bath without yah!"

Akko smiled. It was a smile as luminescent as a shattered mirror, all facets and rainbows, glittering and sparkling. But ultimately, Sucy realized as she stared wide-eyed at her angel, it was still undeniably broken.

"Akko..." Sucy said, pointing at Akko's chest. "Did you know... did you notice that mushroom growing on your chest?"

"Hm?" Akko said. She glanced down at the mushroom, cocked her head back and let out a laugh. She then thrust her chest out to show off the mushroom. "What, this little fella? Sure thing, he popped up this morning! Ain't he a cutie?"

There was no way. There was no way Akko could be this dumb. Everyone knew that there was no such thing as growing a second Flower Heart. Mushrooms weren't even flowers! So why was one growing out of her bleeding chest!? Was this mushroom messing with her brain? It looked an awful a lot like the one Sucy put into the potion. Did this mean...?

Sucy shook her head. There was no time to think that. She had to take action.

"S-sure, sure he is..." Sucy said. She slowly approached Akko, her feet almost soundless on the tile floor. "Would you mind if I just... take a look? I want to admire him up close..."

Okay, if she was careful and quick, she could pluck the main mushroom body off of Akko. It was a temporary solution at best, because there were surely mycelium beneath the skin, but it could save Akko's life. Since the main body was so small, it was unlikely that the mycelium had penetrated very deep; a curative potion could clear out the rest safely. A simple plucking was a risky move, sure, but if Sucy let this mushroom grow any further...

A knife of fear twisted in Sucy's gut. Many mushroom species spread their mycelium out wide rather than deep. Even if Akko's fleshy heart wasn't pierced by the mushroom and drained like a mosquito sucking up rich, red blood, the far-reaching mycelium could push out Akko's Flower Heart, killing her just as easily. Now Sucy wished Akko had worn a more revealing bathing suit: it would allow her to see the extent of the growth, the fingers of the mycelium stretching out beneath Akko's chest, pushing out her skin like a burrowing parasite.

Sucy reached a hand out, her fingers trembling. She was so close, she could almost touch the mushroom cap.

Her hand cutting through the air like a scythe, Akko swatted Sucy's hand away.

"No," Akko said.

The movement threw Sucy off so much that she slipped on the slick floor and fell squarely on the tile floor. She grunted briefly in pain. The sound of flesh slapping flesh echoed off of the bathroom walls, before silence flooded into the room. Neither Sucy or Akko said anything.

Sucy looked down at her own hand, where a pink mark form, then up at Akko. Akko looked at her hand as well, which trembled.

"What?" Both girls said at once.

Out of the two, Akko was the first to recover. After shaking her head, she held a hand out to Sucy. "S-Sucy! I am, I am so so so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you, I don't know what came over me."

Sucy shot a glance at the mushroom and shook her head. Where did that come from? That was the first time Akko had ever hit her. Her angel would never hit her. It had to be the mushroom, Sucy knew it. Carefully, she accepted Akko's hand and was slowly pulled to her feet; her butt hurt the most from the fall, but she'd taken worse.

"D-don't mention it..."

At the same time Akko pulled Sucy up, Sucy took her chance. Her hand shooting out like a dagger in the dark, Sucy reached out and grabbed the mushroom. There was the brief scent of heliotropes and a flicker of white magic...

… and planting her palm squarely on Sucy's stomach, Akko shoved Sucy back to the ground, where she fell squarely on her back. A flame of pain seared Sucy's back as air was shoved out of her lungs, scorching her chest as well; the pink-haired girl only had enough time to crane her neck forward, keeping her head from hitting the hard tile floor.

Sucy coughed hard and roughly, flipping onto her side to escape the agony that was her backside. It was hard to breath, and the air tore at her clenched throat even as it filled her body with life-giving air again. Through the tears that made her eyes misty, Sucy saw a pink glow pop into existence in the center of Akko's red eyes.

"Don't touch it!" Akko shouted, crouching over Sucy. Akko's normally calm, peaceful face was twisted into a mask of anger, rage pouring out of each pore; Sucy had never seen Akko wear such a face before, not even at her angriest when Hannah and Barbara bullied them.

The pink glow burning inside Akko's eyes like a lake of fire, Akko raised her fist, pointed straight at Sucy's face. "Its mine! Its mine its mine its mine! I love it! Don't hurt it, don't touch it!"

Sucy stared at the creature before her. This wasn't her angel. This wasn't Akko. Whatever this mushroom did to Akko, it was twisting her, corrupting her, hurting her. Sucy gritted her teeth until her gums nearly bleed.

This was her fault. She did this to Akko. Because of her selfishness, she had given Akko that damned potion and cursed her with this damned mushroom. Sucy curled up onto a ball, her body still aching. Dammit dammit dammit.

"I-I'm sorry," Sucy managed to choke out. "I-I won't touch it again. I'm sorry, Akko. I'm so sorry."

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the pink glow vanished. Akko blinked several times, looked down and saw Sucy on the floor. She kneeled at her side in an instant.

As Akko prattled away, Sucy felt her heart sink. EVen now, Sucy could not enjoy Akko's comfort, her angel's warmth and light. Not when it was all some lie the mushroom told her. Groaning to herself, Sucy wondered what, what would she do next? How could she save Akko? How could she stop the mushroom? And how, how could she live with herself after this?


	4. Cábhán of Anemone

That night, Sucy went to bed alone, well before Akko. When Akko joined Sucy an hour later,she could feel her angel's eyes on her turned back. The poor angel thought Sucy was upset with her, but whether it was from the disastrous bath or some unknown slight Akko did to her, Akko did not know and Sucy could not say. A knife twisted in Sucy's gut for making her angel worry so much, but Sucy needed space. She couldn't stand to look at her angel, not with that hateful mushroom staring back at her, as if mocking Sucy as it corrupted Akko body and soul.

Sucy curled beneath the blankets, hidden away in fragile safety. A thousand thoughts fluttered through her mind like a hurricane of butterflies. This was her fault. She had given Akko the love potion and let that mushroom take over her angel. What sort of friend was she? Could she say she loved Akko at all? The more Sucy thought, the more she hurt. How could she get rid of the mushroom? There was surely a potion or spell that could heal Akko, but what? She didn't want to lose her angel, her warmth, her grossly incandescent sun. Did the fairy know about this? Did they plan this? But why? Oh god, what could Sucy do? What could she do?

Thoughts like this and more raged like a wildfire in Sucy, and it wasn't until the moon hung in the peak of the sky that Sucy finally found rest.

* * *

Sucy awoke in a field of lilies. She turned her head left and she turned her head right. Everywhere there were lilies, a sea of white and yellow that stretched as far as the eye could see. The pure blue sky was dotted with clouds shaped like lilies, and when she rose to her feet, Sucy was covered in garlands of lilies. The air was warm and the sun gentle, the perfect conditions for lilies. Butterflies of pink and red hovered over the lilies, suckling on the sweat nectar. A sweet-smelling wind brushed over the field, dancing with the lilies which rolled like waves. Faint whispers filled Sucy's ears, and while their words were mysterious and half-heard, they spoke of nothing but kindness and patience and forgiveness.

While this place had neither the gentle solitude of Sucy's workshop nor the light-filled grace of Akko's presence, this field filled Sucy with unspoken ease. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her soul, a weight so heavy yet so constant that Sucy forgot she ever carried it at all. Her chest felt light and free, as if she could finally breath after a long, long time beneath the crushing waves of the world. And while Sucy was never a fanciful soul at heart, she lifted a garland to her nose and took a long, deep whiff.

The lilies smelled of heliotropes, like sweet cherries blended with nutty almonds, both sweetness and bitterness swirling together in an infinite spiral.

"Huh, that is... odd," Sucy said. She peered more closely at the garland, which was soft and velvety to the touch like freshly cleaned blankets. She was just about to pluck a lily off when she noticed a faint glowing from her chest.

It was her Flower Heart. In place of the anemone that had cursed Sucy since birth was a simple, yet lovely red tulip.

Sucy stared at it, her mouth hanging open slightly. Slowly, with a trembling hand, she reached for her tulip Flower Heart... only to feel something tug at the edge of her vision. Despite herself, Sucy's head jerked towards the object.

In the distance, in the middle of the lily field, was a large cherry blossom tree upon a hill. The tree was strong and firm with a thick trunk with wide stretching branches. The tree was in full bloom with pink cherry blossoms, which blew in the sweet-smelling wind. The tree tugged at Sucy with some unseen force, as if calling out to her Flower Heart. Slowly, Sucy walked to the tree. Then she walked faster, then faster still. Then she broke out into a run.

The closer Sucy grew to the cherry blossom tree, the more she could make out its details from its brown bark to its soft, subtle smell. At the foot of the cherry blossom was a person who rested upon its roots. The person took on a familiar, brown-colored shape as Sucy drew near. The person's head perked up when Sucy was close, and waved their hand in the air.

"Sucy! You made it!" shouted the person, giggling happily. Sucy knew that laugh from anywhere. It was Akko, her angel. Sucy ran faster, running until her knees ached and her lungs burned.

"Akko!" Sucy shouted, waving a hand in the air. She clutched her free hand to her chest, showing off the tulip upon her chest. "Akko, look! I have a new Flower Heart! See, see? Now we can, we can-"

Before Sucy could reach the tree, however, the brown-haired angel rose up and dashed towards her as well. Akko threw herself as Sucy, tackling her. Caught off guard as ever, Sucy and Akko fell to the ground and rolled down the hill, where they exploded in a cloud of lilies. Sucy wound up on bottom while Akko rested on top, her hands around the pink-haired witch's wrists.

"Hey, Sucy!" Akko said. Her eyes locked onto the pink-haired witch beneath her. "I missed you! Did you miss me? I'm so glad you're here!"

Upon Akko's chest was her holly Flower Heart, as healthy and ruby red as ever; it reminded Sucy of younger days, of better days. She breathed a sigh of relief. The mushroom was gone. Was it ever there to begin with? Perhaps this past week had only been a dream, a bad dream that stretched out for an eternity. Sucy allowed herself a small smile, and nodded her head gently.

"I know, I know. I rushed things..." Sucy said. "I made a huge mistake, and I hurt you. I'm sorry Akko, I'm so, so sorry. I-"

Sucy was silenced when Akko put a finger to her lips. The brown-haired witch grinned widely, her teeth perfect as gemstones.

"I know you are, Sucy. I know you are," Akko said. "That's why I want you to see this."

"See? See what?"

Akko just giggled, and rising to her feet, she helped Sucy stand back up. Sucy loosened her grip, but Akko gripped Sucy's hand tightly. They held hands as they approached the cherry blossom tree.

A gust of sweet-smelling wind, stronger than before, blew through the field. Petals flew off of the lilies at their feet, exposing a red carpet that led to the trunk of the cherry blossom tree. The lilies swirled around the tree, where they formed a simple arbor with green vines and honeysuckle flowers. An altar grew out of the tree roots, where two gold rings emblazoned with pentacles rested on a red mat. Despite the emptiness of the lily field, the chiming of bells rang through the air.

Sucy furrowed her brow. What was this? She didn't see anyone cast any spells to make all this, and Akko certainly didn't have the magical talent for it. Sucy looked to Akko for answers, only for her jaw to drop.

Akko now wore a wedding dress, decorated with white lace and pink ribbons and a heart-shaped bow upon her head. It all complimented her eyes and Flower Heart magnificently, and Sucy thought she had never seen her angel look quite so beautiful before. Akko wore the biggest grin and gave Sucy a gentle push in the chest.

"See what? The wedding, of course!" Akko said. She waggled a finger and stuck her tongue out teasingly at Sucy. "Did you forget? Its today, silly!"

It was then that Sucy realized she too wore a dress. The dress was a deep shade of purple with black lace and a white ivy pattern embroidered on the stomach and bust. Her red tulip stuck out of the dress like a corsage. A bouquet of willow appeared in her left hand, as if it had always been there. Sucy stared at it long and hard.

"The... wedding?" Sucy gulped hard. How could she forget? This was the wedding, Akko's wedding! She had to make it perfect. Sucy never cared for such overwrought ceremonies, but she would be damned if her angel didn't receive anything less than perfection. Straightening out of the hunch she so rarely left, Sucy gripped the bouquet tighter. "R-right, the wedding! I didn't forget. Wait here, I'll get the rings..."

Sucy reached for the rings, ready to make an honest woman out of Akko...

...only for Akko to swat her hand away. As Sucy slowly turned to Akko, her eyes wide, Akko pouted and put her hands on her hips.

"Oh come on, Sucy! I like your pranks as much as the next witch, but be serious! This is my wedding," Akko said, chiding Sucy lightly. "You're just my maid of honor. Its the groom's job to put the ring on me, not yours."

"The groom? But, but who-?"

Akko waved a hand in front of Sucy's face before she could even continue. A finger to her lips, Akko shushed the pink-haired witch. "Sssshh, shut up, shut up! She's coming! Look natural!"

Just then, another figure appeared in the lily fields. A woman, dressed in a sharp and snappy suit, stood at the end of the aisle. Her suit was black as midnight, her hair as blond as sunflowers, and her hydrangea as purple as royalty. The serpent Diana Cavendish looked truly magnificent in her wedding suit, and although she wore a carefully stoic mask, her blue eyes shimmered when they fell onto Akko.

"Aaah, isn't she dreamy?" Akko said, her face flushed pink. She nudged her friend with an elbow. "So smart and understanding. And not to mention, rich! This girl is moving up in the world, yessir!"

"But, huh, why...?"

The serpent took her first step down the aisle...

... and without sound, without light, without a single sign of movement, the whole field changed. The lilies were gone, replaced by cold, stony earth. The cherry blossoms were gone, the tree barren of life with branches like skeletal hands. The altar was gone, replaced with a rotting stump. And yet, without sign of shock or surprise, Akko and the serpent continued to stare into each other's eyes, even as the serpent walked down the aisle. With each step, the ground gave out behind her feet, the empty field collapsing into an inky void far below them.

The whole world changed around Sucy, but she could only watch in horror at the wedding unfolding before her. Slowly, Sucy shook her head.

"No. No no no..." Sucy said. She grabbed Akko by the shoulders, her voice strained. "You cannot! You cannot love her! I'll never support it!"

Akko stared at Sucy, pouting as if this was only a minor inconvenience. She threw off Sucy's grip and returned the favor, her hands clasping onto Sucy firmly like an iron maiden. The angel smiled, tilted her head to the side, and stared into Sucy's eyes with crystal clear clarity. Those eyes were lasers.

"Silly Sucy!" Akko said. "That's not your decision to make. Diana makes me happy, so why are you trying to steal my happiness? I'm gonna live forever with Diana, and you cannot tell me otherwise!"

"No, I-I can... I can make you happy!" Sucy fell to her knees, gripping the hems of Akko's dress. "Please, let me make you happy! Please, I, I love-"

Akko looked down on Sucy, her smile as crescent as the moon. She pulled the hem of her wedding dress back with a powerful jerk.

"How can you say that? Can someone as unhappy as you know what love is?" Akko shoved Sucy down onto the ground, towering over the wide-eyed girl. Akko seemed to grow giant, to fill the whole of Sucy's world with her pure eyes and moon-like smile.

"Silly Sucy! You don't know the first thing about love." She waggled her finger at the fallen Sucy, even as the serpent joined her side. The pair held hands tightly, gold rings already wrapped around their fingers, bonding them together forever. "After all, how can you properly love someone, when no one has ever loved you?

Akko and the serpent seemed to grow and grow even larger, filling up the sky. Sucy curled up into a tight ball, trembling on the spot, just waiting for the pair to squish her like the bug she was. She waited and waited and waited...

... for a foot that would never come. Slowly, Sucy opened one eye.

She was alone again, alone in a dark forest. This forest was neither like the Forest of Caillte, which was full of life, or the Forest of Croi, which was full of dark mystery. No, this forest was simply empty, its trees withered husks and its earth poor and silty. Nothing lived here, nothing breathed here. The only thing that stood out was the moonlit sky, where a crescent moon looked down at creation like a sleepy eye or perhaps a sneering smirk. The moon was grazed at its corners, as if some eldritch beast had taken a big bite out of the moon. And, Sucy noted with bitter dismay, she once again had a Heart of Anemone, the flower almost spitefully healthy.

Akko and the serpent were gone. Where to, Sucy had no idea. She just knew that she was alone, completely and utterly. Just like when she first appeared on that doorstep, all those years ago. Just like she was in her early childhood. Just like when she was with Akko, after her angel was corrupted by that miserable mushroom. That realization, as much as Sucy had once accepted it years ago, struck her anew like a punch in the chest and settled in her gut like a stone, weighing Sucy with an unspeakable burden that bowed her shoulders once more. Gone was the warmth and memory of the lily field: all Sucy knew was the cold, the dark, and the damp.

But Sucy was not alone. In this empty, dead wood, a faint voice called out.

"...uuucy..."

"Akko?" Sucy said, swirling on her heel, aching to find her angel again. Instead, a beast materialized out the forest, as if given life and form by the darkness. The beast wandered through shadows and pale moonlight, its movements slow and sluggish, as if it carried an immense weight upon its back.

"... ve you..." The beast approached Sucy, about five meters away. Sucy took a step back, then another. The beast lurched forward, dragging one foot across the forest floor.

"St-Stay back..." Sucy said. She didn't know what this beast was, but it clearly wasn't human. She gripped at her side to fetch her wand, to banish this beast from her sight, but her wand was nowhere to be found. Her other side was also disconcertingly light: Sucy's satchel of ready-made potions was missing, meaning she couldn't just melt the creature away with a magically-enhanced acid. Sucy was completely defenseless against this beast.

No! Sucy was a witch, and even after all the trauma and heartache, she wouldn't just bow to some random beast. She quickly searched the forest for something, anything to fight the dark figure. Near her feet, there lay a twisted branch with black bark; it wasn't very long or even, but the branch was thick enough to handle a few solid swings, and would sting if struck in the right place. Grabbing the branch quickly, Sucy held it up like a club.

"Stay back!" Sucy said, with a stronger edge to her voice. "I got a cursed Flower Heart and I'm screwed up in the head! I won't hold back!"

The beast did not stop. It continued forward, leaning its weight upon the dead trees with a malformed paw, which looked as if it'd been broken and mended too many times to count. It breathed heavily with each step, its breathes vibrating within its chest cavity. The beast had eyes like blood that shone in the pale moonlight, and streaks leaked down its misshapened face. There was the sound of dripping fluids and bone rubbing on bone.

Just before the beast reached the edge of the treeline, Sucy charged it. With a low and frustrated growl, she swung the branch forward. She half-expected the beast to dodge the attack, but they took it the full brunt of it. For half a second, the scent of heliotropes filled Sucy's nostrils like a forgotten memory of home.

There was a loud, wet squelching sound. The beast didn't even flinch as the branch was driven straight through its chest and out the back, piercing through flesh like warm cheese and scraping against its rib cage like a bone file. There was a faint snip, and something fell to the ground.

It was a sprig of holly, its leaves long shriveled and berries missing. The moment the holly fell away, half a dozen mushrooms sprung out like a jack-in-the-box, each of them glowing in violent shades of purple and pink. Their roots dug deep throughout the whole beast's body like cancerous veins. The beast's face stared at Sucy with hollow eyes, with a pink flame burning within their very core. Crimson tears streaked down the beast's face as it grinned like a skeleton.

"Suuuuucy..." Akko said, trembling slightly as the mushrooms dug into the fresh hole in her chest. "I love you, Suuuuucy. I love you..."

Sucy stared at Akko. She opened her mouth. And she screamed.

* * *

Sucy awoke with a start, catapulting out of bed. Her skin was hot, and her sweat was cold. Her stomach lurched, and she held her hand to her mouth. A sour taste washed over her tongue, but Sucy managed to hold down her dinner. By the faint light of the moon, a nearby clock read that it was just little past one in the morning.

On its own, Sucy's head pivoted to the bed beside her. Akko slept there, clutching her pillow in a vice grip as drool pooled out of her mouth. The mushroom on her chest pulsated a faint pink in the dark of the room.

"Suuuucy, Suuuucy..." Akko muttered in her sleep. She smiled as she nuzzled into her pillow. "Love you, Suuuucy. Always love..."

She snored, but said not another word. Sucy breathed a sigh of relief and fought to control her breathing. Dammit, now she couldn't even escape her problems in her dreams. She still had to fix this. But even as the memories of the nightmare evaporated from Sucy's mind, as dreams are wont to do, she did remember the beast and the forest and that haunting moon. Finally, Sucy knew what to do.

"That fairy has some explaining to do..."

* * *

Later that same night, once Sucy caught her breath, the pink-haired witch snuck out of the orphanage. In hindsight, she thought, the security at the Lotus Home was far too lax. She rolled her eyes once she slunk past the sleeping guard, and the dewy grass cold and wet on her bare feet, Sucy disappeared into the Caillte Forest. She followed the same steps as before, walking down the usual trail to the Bridge, which she crossed without hesitation. Sucy took a step off the cobblestone bridge...

... and stepped back into the Forest of Croi.

Sucy frowned as she walked through the magical wood, down an invisible path. This was the place where it all started, where she found that cursed mushroom; if there was any cure for removing Akko's pain, it would be here. Like before, the moon in the Forest of Croi was far too vast and far too close to Earth; Sucy half believed she could reach up and touch it. While she despised its cold exterior, even Sucy had to appreciate the light it gave her; if not for the moon, she would get lost in this dark and dangerous place.

In short order, Sucy returned to the pasture of heliotropes. She didn't plan to return exactly here, but perhaps this was only one destination in this dark place. Perhaps she was drawn here magically without even knowing it. Such magic was beyond the understanding of a young witch like her, so Sucy saw no point in overthinking it. With a deep breath, Sucy cupped a hand to her mouth and called out in the dark wood.

"Fairy? Fairy! Come out here, I know you're around here somewhere!" Sucy barked. She glared out into the forest. "I know you can hear me."

There was a twinkle and small pop of purple sparkles behind a nearby tree. Familiar red-and-blue wings poked behind a tree trunk. The fairy did not answer the pink-haired witch.

Sucy's eyes narrowed. "Don't bother hiding. Its not like you can hide from me."

The fairy leaned out from behind the tree. It grinned weakly, its teeth as thorny as ever, and pointed to itself. "Who, me? I'd never hide from my godchild, no, never ever ever!"

The creature chuckled hesitantly and flew down, its wings slowly beating the air. It closed its eyes, its expression a radiant beam of light that had eyes for nothing but its godchild. "What might be the occasion, my beloved Sucy? I didn't expect you to return us to this forest again."

"Remove the mushroom."

"Huh?" The fairy opened one eye.

Sucy glared at the fairy. "Remove the mushroom from Akko. Its killing her."

The fairy shrugged, its smile growing thin. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, beloved. Surely you're mis-"

A growl in her voice, Sucy said, "You know damn well what I mean. The mushroom I put in the potion, the mushroom emyou/em gave me, its killing Akko. Its taken over her mind and its feeding on her like a _Cordyceps_ mushroom."

Her head turned downward and she tightened her grip until her knuckles went white. Her voice trembled with each uttered word. Sucy felt so helpless, so powerless. Here she was, a master of mushrooms and potions, asking help from some stupid fairy godmother. "But that mushroom protects itself by making Akko violent. I cannot take it off without hurting her, and besides, its a species I've never seen before. I might just take things worse."

With a jerk of her head, Sucy looked up at the fairy. "So do it, take it off Akko. I don't care if she hates me, I just want Akko back. The stupid Akko, the kind Akko, the real Akko."

The fairy tilted her head to the side and blinked. Its constant smile had faded, replaced by a small frown. "Are you quite sure? After all, she is happy now, she-"

"Who could ever be happy like that!" Sucy said, suddenly shouting. She pointed a finger at the fairy, jabbing it in the chest as she looked at it hard. "Fix this now, or so help me, I'll... I'll..."

It was then that Sucy looked at the fairy truly for the first time. Perhaps fairy glamour had tricked Sucy, or the fairy cast a unspoken hypnotic spell, but now that Sucy looked harder at the creature, the 'godmother' disguise melted away like rotting flesh from bone. The fairy grew still, awareness glimmering its eye as Sucy beheld its true form.

The fairy was a small creature, about the size of Sucy's fist. It had short, stubby arms and long, noodle-like legs that twitched helplessly with its every movement. It had a pink, bloated body like a corpse inflated with blood, bile, and gases, and blue-and-red veins zigzagged across its frame. It's head was the size of a thimble and blank of any features, with a single bloodshot eye resting just above its legs. Its mouth was stretched across its chest like an open gash, where a maw full of needle-like teeth smiled grotesquely at the world.

The fairy, if it could even be called that now, tilted its pimple-like head at Sucy. "Or? Or you'll do what, beloved Sucy?"

The creature floated closer to Sucy, its butterfly wings replaced with narrow, veinous tubes that had no right to fly. It floated over the trembling Sucy's shoulder, where its eye narrowed. "You know it, don't you? That you need me? You can blow and huff as much as you want, silly child, but you wouldn't dare lay a hand on me. Not if you know what's good for you."

The creature dragged a stubby hand across Sucy's cheek, leaving a thin trail of slime behind. Its fingers were like those of an unborn child, but each finger ended with curved black nails. The creature continued. "And as for your angel? No, no I think she's better the way she is. You wanted a happy Akko, a perfect Akko, and that's what you got. So why do you whine so now?"

The creature finished its halo across Sucy's head, and floated not a few inches from her nose. It smelled of copper and daylily. "Children are so ungrateful these days, but you know what, beloved Sucy? I'm not mad, not truly. Do you know why?"

It smirked with its needle-like teeth and pure glee shone from its bloodshot eye. "Its because I love you. And like it or not, you and I will be together forever. Forever and ever in love."

Sucy stared at the strange creature. The former fairy flapped its veinous wings. Sucy outreached her palms. Taking the offer, the creature landed in her hands. Slowly, Sucy smiled. The creature smiled.

Then Sucy gripped the creature with both hands, squeezing it tightly. The creature reacted immediately, squealing and writhing in her grip. Her eyes cold and dispassionate like the moon overhead, Sucy gazed at the pathetic creature without a trace of pity.

"You know, ever since we met, I knew you were like this." Sucy said. "You're a creep, a parasite. You feed on the love of others and don't give anything back. The only reason I went along with your plan is because I was desperate and wanted help, any help, to win over Akko."

Sucy tightened her grip. "Well, not anymore. It ends here."

The creature pathetically flailed its limbs around, kicking Sucy in the chest with its noodle-like legs. When that didn't work, it bit down hard on Sucy's thumb, breaking the skin with ease. Streams of scarlet blood dripped from her hand and down the arm, where it stained her shirt sleeve and the forest floor below. Sucy didn't so much as flinch. She simply increased the pressure, narrowing her eyes in disgust at the creature.

"Sucy, what are you doing?" The creature screeched. Its bloodshot eye boggled around its body as it went mad. "You cannot do this! You need me!"

The pink-haired witch squeezed harder, causing the creature to squeal louder. Her fingers dug grooves into its thin skin, and blood started to ooze out of the creature like soap from a sponge. Her breath grew harder as she ignored the burning pain in her hand.

"I need you like I need a heart attack." Sucy said. Her vision grew fuzzy from the pain; her right arm felt numb, making it harder to crush the horrible creature. Perhaps it had a venomous bite? No matter, she would simply figure out an antidote when she returned to the orphanage. "Now, do everyone a favor and die already."

"No, no wait-!" the creature said, tears rolling out from its only eye. Without hesitation, Sucy clamped down on the creature with all her might.

It popped like a blood-filled balloon. Blood splattered everywhere, splashing across Sucy's clothes and her face, leaving red streaks that slowly trailed down her body. She dropped the creature to the ground, where it splurted one last gusher of blood, soaking the earth with the life-giving fluid. The scarlet liquid glistened in the moonlit, and for a solitary moment, Sucy felt a sense of relief wash over her.

Then slowly, one by one, the petals of her Flower Heart fell off. Sucy looked down at her Heart of Anemone and caught a petal with her blood-soaked hand. The violet petal went red as blood soaked into it. Sucy's hand began to tremble.

"That... cannot be good."

Without warning, a bolt of pain struck Sucy dead in the chest. She gasped and stumbled backwards, clutching a hand over her Flower Heart. More petals fell off. Another bolt of pain hit her, this time in the back. Sucy cried, falling to her knees.

What was happening? She did not understand. Was the venom that potent? Or was this venom at all? She knew of no venom that could harm someone's Flower Heart, only the flesh. Another wave of pain struck, rocking across the Sucy's body to send spasms from head to toe. It was as if Sucy had injected magma straight into her veins, burning her alive from the inside. The pink-haired witch fell to her side, curling into a ball as fire seared her virgin flesh. The forest floor felt as cold as ice next to her hot skin. She opened her mouth to cry, but no sound came out. Her right arm went completely numb, its muscles too loosened to even move.

Above her, the moon watched Sucy writhe in agony. Her breathing grew faster and more shallow; it felt as if ocean water was flooding her lungs, drowning Sucy in a sea of pain. Her eyes turned skyward even as the corners of her vision grew black and blurry. No, she couldn't stop now! She still had things to do, potions to make. She had to cure Akko somehow, to save her. She couldn't die here so pathetically, so selfishly. With her left hand trembling, she reached out to the moon, and for a second, she swore she felt it.

"Ak-ko!" Sucy said, her voice choked.

Sucy's left hand fell to the ground with a splat, lying in an ever-growing pool of blood beside the creature she had slain. The fiery pain that had been her hell gently ebbed away and her breathing stilled. Beneath the moon, Sucy Manabavaran died with a final, brief sigh.


	5. Woman of Anemone

There was no denying that the Forest of Croi was a strange land. The realm was a vast place that was boundless past human limitation, but could also fit within the palm of a hand. The few creatures that called this home were made not of flesh and blood, but of light and darkness, heart and mind. Here, time was twisted, shadows as solid as stone, and miracles were birthed daily.

Here, it was not uncommon for the dead to rise again.

Sucy awoke sharply, as if from a bad dream. Her head turned this way and that, shaking off the fingers of sleep that tugged off her mind. Trying to focus on anything other than her sleep-addled body, Sucy looked around her surroundings for something, anything that could tether her to the waking world.

The sights were less than impressive. Somehow, Sucy found herself in a dark place, somewhere even darker than the forest floor. Her body rested upon a stone slab, a chunk of raised rock that was hewn from the stone floor itself. The slab was warm and glowed an ethereal blue. White-blue gems hung overhead like the stars in heaven, just outside of reach. They led a straight line away from the slab before disappearing into the darkness.

It didn't take long for Sucy to puzzle out that she was in a cave. How she came to be here and why were still mysteries that itched at her tired mind, but surely she could find her answers. She sat up from her impromptu bed, and hissed when her feet touched the icy floor. How far underground was she that the ground was this cold?

"Is this the fairy's doing? No, that cannot be right, I popped it like a champagne glass," Sucy said to herself. The cave felt oppressively empty, as if she was the only one to grace this cavern in ages. Words bubbled out her chest just to fill the void.

"Damn, this place is bleak. There's not even mushroom samples to collect," Sucy said. Keeping an eye on the stone slab, Sucy walked about a stone's throw away until she felt a cave wall. The wall was smooth and wet to the touch, as if an underground river had cut and polished it over the millennia. She repeated the process until she confirmed that she was boxed in by stone walls from every direction: the only exit was the gemstone path that hung from the ceiling.

"Something smells like a trap," Sucy said, eyeing the gemstones warily.

With little other options, Sucy followed the gemstones, dragging one hand along the cave wall. She walked slowly, testing the ground with each step: in the impenetrable darkness of the cave, there was no telling the difference between the floor and a bottomless pit straight to her death. While other fears flickered through her mind, thoughts of starvation or dehydration inside a lifeless cave, Sucy feared a terrible fall above all else.

After all, there was no guarantee the fall would kill her, but it would surely trap Sucy down here forever. The idea of being dying, broken and alone, in a place where the sun would never reach her sent a shot of fear through Sucy's veins colder than any dagger.

Sucy kept walking for some time. Deep down in the cave, Sucy's sense of time grew distorted: had she been walking for minutes or for hours? After shaking off the tug of sleep, Sucy's body felt surprisingly refreshed, as if she had just stepped out of the bath, so surely not much time had past. So Sucy kept walking, in hopes of finding an exit.

In that cave, Sucy found Death instead.

Sucy had never met Death before, and only knew it in the faces of the dead and dying; after decades of plague outbreaks in Bláth, it was rare to find a child who hadn't seen at least one corpse. Sucy had never found corpses particularly frightening: to her, corpses looked like freshly worn suits that the real soul had stepped out of and forgotten to put away, albeit more fleshy and likely to rot. So even as she gazed upon Death, Sucy did not stutter or flinch or cry out.

Death was a large figure, about as tall as a manticore and long as a basilisk. Across its body it wore a cloak of darkness, a darkness as thick as molten tar and bottomless as the sea. Any light that was cast upon Death immediately disappeared into that cloak, unable to escape its clammy grasp. Whenever Death moved, there were shifts in the darkness as if limbs lurked beneath, but they were surely strange and foul things indeed. At the end of the cloak slipped out a long tail matted with gray fur, which was embedded with gemstones like those upon the cave ceiling, and like the gemstones, they lead straight to Death.

Upon Death's back were two pairs of silken wings, which were translucent like a sea fog and twitched gently inside the narrow cavern, as if desperate to take flight. Across Death's neck was a necklace of skulls. There were many skulls on the necklace, but chief among them were the skulls of a fish and frog to the left, the skulls of a snake and bird to the right, and a human skull in the center. The skulls stared at Sucy with empty sockets, as if drained of all life. And finally there was Death's head.

… words failed Sucy. Even as she stared at Death, she could not look at it straight in the eye; whenever she tried, her eyes drifted away to the rest of its horrible body. Anything had to be better than the face of Death, Sucy's body told her, and though she fought those animal instincts, Sucy could not take that final step.

Even as she fought her own body, Sucy spoke. "So. I'm dead then?"

Death said nothing. It merely stared at Sucy with its unseen eyes.

Sucy sighed, her eyes casting downward. She clutched at the spot where her Flower Heart once was. All that was left a wilted stem, her heart of anemone gone forever.

"I should have figured. Most people don't have heart attacks and just get back up again." Sucy said. Her eyes were cold and hard. She knew she was dead. The more she thought about it, the more the feeling sunk into her bones. She went and killed that fairy bastard, and she died in turn. She was fool to listen to it, to be lured by its siren's call. This is what she deserved, for what she did to herself and to Akko.

Biting her lip as her heart clenched tight at the memory of her best friend, Sucy said, "I just wish... I just wish I could have saved her. I might deserve this, but not Akko. Never Akko."

Sucy looked back at Death, hoping against hope for any sense of mercy. She found none. Without looking at Death in the eye, Sucy only saw an empty void, the end of her, the end of the world, the end of all.

"Okay. I get it." Sucy's arms fell to her sides. What other choice did she have? She was lost and trapped in a dark, lifeless cave with Death. Sucy had neither the tools or will to fight. So why bother? Why not just accept what happened and move on?

"Well," Sucy said, lifting a hand up to Death. "Come and take me away, you tall, dark, and gruesome bastard. I– "

"Leaving so soon? But thou hast only yet arrived, loyal Manbavaran," came another voice. Before she touched Death, Sucy flipped around to the new stranger in the cave.

Right behind Sucy, only about a few step's away, stood a woman. She was a tall figure, about twice the size of a normal human. The woman wore a gown of light, which glimmered faintly in the darkness of the cave. Across her neck, she wore an ornate silver necklace that was embedded with stones of ruby, and a gray sash hung from her waist. Her hair was similarly gray, and her face concealed beneath a shimmery veil. Upon her head, the woman wore a coronet made of the finest stoat's fur and elegantly crafted silver gilded with gold and mother-of-pearls. This woman in white was undeniably the most beautiful women Sucy had ever seen, second to only Akko.

However, as beautiful as this woman was, there was something slightly off about her. While most of the woman's body was covered in dress, her hands were left bare and exposed her skin. The skin had grooves and pockets not unlike a plague victim, and even if she wasn't infected, the woman looked greatly scarred. She must have noticed Sucy's expression, for she tucked both hands within her sleeves and nodded to Sucy.

"We do hope thou will pardon our interruption," said the woman in white. She nodded towards Death, her voice as melodious as bells. "We appreciate thine eagerness to befriend our dark compatriot, but thou might wish to rethink thy situation before severing thine mortal coil so easily."

Stepping towards the woman in white, Sucy said, "I hate being predictable, but who are you? Where are we? And why the hell am I here"

The woman in white nodded her head. "It is understandable to be confused. After all, thy last memory is of the Forest of Croi, is it not? Here, sit and rest. We shall explain."

With an upward flick of a finger, a stone slab rose out of the ground before the woman in white, the stone flowing fluidly like water before hardening again like ice. Three smaller slabs followed suit, each of them forming around the larger slab. With the grace of a true lady, the woman in white sat down at the stone table. Death was already sitting, as if it was always there. Sucy eyed the two strange figures, but finally sat with a sigh. It was better than doing nothing, after all.

"Excellent. Now that we are seated, we may begin," said the woman in white, her scarred hands clapped together. She gestured to Death beside her.

"Clearly thou hast already met our loyal ally, Bás. Thou may call it 'Death' if thou so wish it," The woman in white said. She brought a marred hand to her chest. "We are the one known as Gealach, daughter of Elatha. Or 'The Moon,' if it suits thee."

"The Moon?" Sucy raised an eyebrow. "You're... the moon?"

"The current goddess of it, yes," The Moon said. "No doubt thee have many ques–"

"Then what is that big white ball outside?" Sucy asked. "Swiss cheese?"

The Moon went silent for a moment, then chuckled. "I see thou remains as free-spirited in the presence of gods as thou art in the presence of mortals. That is charming, of a sort. In the future, however, we recommend to temper thy tongue. Other gods and goddesses are not as forgive as we."

"Yeah yeah, I'm a rude ass mortal," Sucy said, rolling her eyes. "Could you explain more?"

"If it pleases thee."

Perhaps it was the woman in white's body language, which emanated a slight air of superiority, or perhaps it was her insufferably magnanimous tone, which reminded her of Diana, but Sucy felt an almost instant dislike for the woman in white. So she was a goddess, so what? Sucy had lived her whole life without gods. What had they ever done for Sucy, besides abandon her? Did they think that visiting her, now that she was literally inches from Death, made up for years of cold, lonely nights and prayers unanswered? It was just like the gods to do that, to expect Sucy's gratitude and praise only near the end.

No, Sucy didn't need any gods in her life. They weren't any better than fairies. She was better off without them.

But... Sucy also had no idea where she was or how to get home. She needed all the help she could get, and besides, she hadn't even listened to the Moon yet. Perhaps she was being too judgmental? Sure, the Moon was a goddess, but perhaps she wasn't a bad person. So with only a touch of doubt in her heart, Sucy listened to the lunar goddess speak.

"As we were saying, we are the gods of death and the moon," said the Moon. She waved her arms around the cavern, causing the gemstones upon the ceiling to shimmer brightly. "This cavern rests

beneath the Forest of Croi, a forest of dreams and nightmares and the human soul. This cave is a threshold between life and death. No one can simply die in the Forest of Croi: instead, they slip into this threshold, where they await judgment."

"Judgment?" said Sucy. The woman in white nodded her head.

"Indeed, thy judgment," said the Moon. She pointed at Sucy with a long and curled fingernail, directly at the wilted stem where her Flower Heart once rested. "Due to thy actions in the Forest of Croi, the life of a mortal girl is threatened. Normally we gods pay no mind whether you mortals slay each other or not, but we cannot ignore that the Forest's powers were abused to achieve this end."

"B-but, I didn't mean to! It was that lying fairy's fault," Sucy said, rising from her seat. She pounded the table. "I never meant to endanger Akko's life! Judge me if you like, I deserve it as much as the fairy did, but please don't let Akko be hurt because of me."

"Prithee sit down," said the Moon. Her arms were crossed and buried in their sleeves. "Thy outburst is understandable, but we will not suffer further interruptions."

Sucy stared at the Moon, her throat already hurting from the screaming. Why did hurt? Was it just her, or was the air getting thinner? Her head feeling light, Sucy let herself fall backwards into her seat. The Moon stared at Sucy from behind her veil until the pink-haired witch calmed down. Only then did she continue.

"Whether thy intentions were for good or poor matter not. Whether thee fell for the trickery of a fae matters not. Thou used the magic of the Forest of Croi for thy own purposes, endangered the life of another, and changed both of thy destinies as a result." The Moon nodded towards Death. "Depending on the result of thy judgment, the mortal girl will die fifty-one years before her appointed time, creating more work for our dark compatriot. Isn't that right, Bás?"

Death said nothing. It only nodded.

The woman in white sat back in her chair and frowned. "The Matres have also been considerably inconvenienced: they shall now have to rewrite the fates of thou, the mortal girl, and everyone else affected by thy destinies. That shall take them at least a week's time to correct. Be thankful that they are too busy to attend thy judgment, else thy fate would surely be sealed."

Sucy bowed her head. While she honestly didn't give a flying fork about troubling the gods, the fact that her fate was held in the hands of two gods did. How was she supposed to get out of this one? How could she save Akko, if it was even possible? Licking her lips, Sucy looked up with trembling eyes at the Moon.

"So... how do I get judged? What happens if I get judged well, or... poorly?"

The Moon pulled her hands out of her sleeves and steepled them together. She tapped her forefingers together, looking over Sucy like one weighs a piece of meat. She didn't utter a word. Instead, after another moment, she snapped her fingers.

Instantly the cavern was filled with a bright light. Two portals opened up at both ends of the cavern, each filling the walls to the rim. A strong wind howled out of the two portals, as if a maelstrom was suddenly blowing through cavern. Both the Moon and Death rose from their seats, then each approached a portal and stood at the threshold. The stone table melted back into the floor, and if Sucy didn't hop up and off her seat, she may have joined it.

Speaking over the roaring maelstrom as if it was only a gentle breeze, the Moon said, "Thy judgment is this: we shall ask thee a riddle to figure out which portal to enter. If thee can decide which portal leads back to the mortal world, thee will be absolved of all thy sins. Not only that, but the mortal girl shall be healed. If thou fails, then only death awaits you both."

"The riddle is as follows: here thou stand between these two portals of life and death as well as us two guardians. One of us speaks only truths and the other only speaks lies. Thou dost not know which is which. You may ask three questions to learn the answer. Now, ask your questions."

Standing between the two gods, between life and death, Sucy's body trembled even as she cursed herself for her weakness. She had to be strong, she had to make the right choice. But what was that exactly?

"Does that... does that mean everything that you said before was the truth or all a lie?" Sucy asked.

The Moon offered a stiff smile. "No, I did not deceive you before the riddle began. And that was question 1."

Sucy cursed under her breath. That was a stupid question. It didn't tell Sucy anything she needed to know, and for all she knew, the Moon was lying. What a complete waste of a question.

She bit her lip and looked between the two gods. Sucy had no idea how to solve this; magic and potions were her forte, not logic problems. What question could give her the answer? How could she trust an answer anyway? Especially when this was an act of judgment by the gods: if the gods were anything like Sucy thought, surely both doors led to death.

The pink-haired witch looked between the Moon and Death. Perhaps there was a trick to it? It would be too obvious to put Death in front of the death door, so surely it was guarding the door to the mortal world. But the Moon seemed smart enough, so surely she would know Sucy would think that, and so surely Death guarded the death door. On the other hand, the Moon might know that Sucy would realize her trick, and so Death was in front of the door to the mortal world. But what if...?

Around and around Sucy's mind spun, trapped within circles of her own logic. This was getting her nowhere; the only way Sucy had ever learned anything was through experimentation. A lot of potions had exploded in Sucy's face until she got it right, and one question already blew up in her face, so she might as well try again.

Approaching the Moon slowly, Sucy said, "Gealach... if I went through your door, where would I end up?"

The Moon tilted her head and looked down at the pink-haired witch. She spread her arms out, practically glowing with lunar light.

"Behind us lies the door to thy salvation. If thou steps through this portal, thou wilt meet the smiling face of they beloved angel. Thou will see her and know her in the most intimate manner. Peace shall belong to thee and thou shall never fret over losing thine love again."

Then the Moon crossed her arms and spoke no more.

"A-huh," Sucy said, nodding her head slowly. She looked at the Moon closely, as if trying to pierce the truth locked away inside the goddess' head, but the Moon was an impenetrable vault: knowledge was not so easily forfeited by the cold and beautiful face that watched the Earth every night.

That only left Death. Sucy turned slowly towards the dark figure at the other end of the hall. Carefully she approached it, her eyes still slipping away from the face of Death like it was made of grease-covered soap. Without anywhere else better to look, Sucy stared at the necklace of skulls around Death's neck as she stood before it.

"God Bás... Death?" Sucy said, a faint tremble entering her voice. This was it. It was now or never: if she didn't ask the right question the right way, then she could very well damn herself and Akko to terrible fates. She had to be strong, not just for herself, but for Akko.

Death slowly nodded its head in silent acknowledgment. It waited for Sucy's answer. It could wait all eternity, if it so chose.

"Death..." Sucy asked, tilting her head up. Behind Sucy, the Moon did the same. "If I went through the Moon's door... could you promise Akko would love me forever?"

Silence fell in the cavern. Neither the Moon nor Death spoke. Even the howling winds of the portals fell away. The only sound was that of Sucy's breath. In and out, in and out. If one strained the ear, one could even hear Sucy's beating heart.

 **No**. Death's words resounded heavy and hard like lead slabs falling in an empty graveyard. **Gods, like fairies, can promise many things. Gods can promise fair winds for a sailor. They can promise a good harvest or the end of a plague. Gods can promise wealth to a king, and peace for a peasant. But nothing is eternal, especially humans.**

There came a great shifting inside Death, as if the dark figure was preparing to take off with its insect-like wings. Instead, an arm emerged from its cloak. Not unlike Death's tail, the arm was long and matted with gray fur, but the closer Sucy looked at the arm, the more the illusion fell apart: instead of fur, Death's arm was made of thousands upon thousands of gray, wiggling worms that swarmed over Death's flesh and bones, if indeed Death had flesh. Death raised a single wormy finger and brought it just inches before Sucy's forehead. The finger convulsed as worms crawled up and down it in a neverending cycle of rot and decay.

 **But that is neither here nor there. You know the answer to this. You knew it before you even awoke.** Death stared at Sucy with eyes unblinking. **So make your choice, and don't you dare regret it. This is the road you carved out yourself, and hesitation does not suit our kind.**

Sucy looked at Death, perhaps for the first time. Death was a figure of decay, of darkness and oblivion. It was emptiness personified, the end of all things. But there, right in its heart, was just a touch of something familiar.

Sucy looked Death straight on and saw her reflection in its red eyes. Its wore an twisted grin upon its face, and on its head Death wore a garland of purple flowers. Hand trembling, Sucy reached out and plucked a flower from the garland. The moment it touched her fingertips, the flower shone a weak, but steady glow.

 **I hope you don't mind that I borrowed it for a while.** Death said. Sucy shook her head numbly. She brought the purple flower to her chest where the wilted stem grew, and as if by magic, the purple flower snapped out and seized hold of the stem. The flower glowed bright for a moment, then faded again until a fresh Flower Heart grew out of Sucy's chest.

"... you are right," Sucy said, nodding her head. She looked back at the Moon, who watched Sucy with the same cold, yet interested look she always gave her. "I know the right choice: I must do what is right by both myself and Akko. Thank you, and goodbye."

With that, Sucy turned back to Death and walked through Death's door.

0-0-0-0-0

After the longest night in Sucy's life, the golden sun rose again to greet the wandering dreamers and fallen sleepers of the world. It bathed Bláth with its warmth, gushing sunlight across the magical land like a torrent of molten gold, or the smiles of a father to a wayward son who has finally come home. A shard of this soul-quenching sunlight reached the Lotus Home for Wayward Children, where it peered through the fastened curtains and crept across the wooden floors before reaching the bed of Akko Kagari. The light tugged at Akko's eyelids until the brunette stirred, her eyes flickering open.

"Aah," Akko said with a yawn, stretching in her cot. Once again, she woke up far earlier than normal, her muscles creaking and joints popping audibly. Despite a night full of sleep, the young girl looked as though she'd been chased by a bull all night, for shadows hung beneath her eyes and her skin had an unhealthy pallor to it.

Still, never one to mope for long, Akko smiled and turned to the cot net to her, where Sucy normally slept. A sincere, if weak smile across her face, Akko said, "Good morning, Sucy! Ready for another terrific day?"

Akko stared to an empty bed. The pillow was fluffed and the sheets and blankets properly tucked in, but there was no pink-haired witch across from her. Additionally, each one of Sucy's decorations was missing, as the caretakers were wont to do after an adoption.

"What?" Akko said, raising an eyebrow at the uncomfortably vacant bed."Did she get-? No, adoption day is next week. Maybe she just got reassigned beds?"

Akko shifted in bed, sliding her legs to the side to stand up and investigate further. When she did so, however, there was a faint crinkling sound, and she felt something fall to her lap. Akko looked down.

Upon her lap was a dried mushroom. The mushroom had a shriveled purple cap and faded pink spots. Its brown gills were thin and papery and the stem leathery. It was such a dead and pathetic thing that Akko cringed at the sight when she picked it up.

"Ugh. Is this one of Sucy's pranks, 'cause if it is, its not funny. I'd take a slip on a banana peel any day than sleep in the same bed with a dead fungus."

Akko flicked the wretched thing away, where it rolled underneath Sucy's bed. Unseen by Akko, the mushroom shivered its last and promptly crumbled to ash. A flicker of red flame escaped the mushroom as it did so, leaving the ash pile cold and lifeless.

The spell broken, life flickered back into Akko's Flower Heart: its color returned to its leaves, its stem grew straighter, and its berries went glossy like tiny rubies. The holly did not fully recover, for the mushroom still had taken toll on the brunette witch, but fresh life was breathed into it, and with time could make a full recovery.

At the same time, Akko felt reinvigorated too: some of the ache in her muscles evaporated like droplets off a hot stove and her body felt lighter. As she stood up, Akko was surprised that the pain wore off like shackles falling from her body. None of that mattered to her, however, as she peered across Sucy's bed. She dragged her hand across the mattress, a slight frown across her face.

"Don't tell me... we cannot sleep next to each other anymore?" Akko said, her red eyes dark with disbelief. Her hand ran from the foot of the bed to the head, right across the pillow. When she pushed the pillow back, a piece of folded paper slid out. Upon the paper were two simple words: _To Akko_.

"A note?" Without thought, Akko picked up the note. Squinting in the pale light of dawn, the brunette read the note:

 _'To my beloved Akko,_

 _If you are reading this note, then the mushroom is fully gone. Thank god. I am sorry for ever_

 _feeding you that potion. I hope you can find it in your heart to move past this, even if you_

 _never forgive me._

 _Please, don't look for me. I should already be long gone from the Lotus Home. I don't belong_

 _there anymore. Maybe I never did. It might be sad to see me go, but its for the best. You_

 _deserve a much better_ _ _roommate companion lov-__ _f'riend than I._

 _Send Diana, Lotte, and the rest my regards._

 _Now and forever,_

 _Sucy Manbavaran_

Akko crumbled the note in her hands the moment she finished reading it. Her head whipped over her shoulder as she darted to the nearest window and threw open the curtains. Ignoring the whines and moans of fellow orphans as they stirred in their beds, Akko peered across the Yard and the borders of Caillte for any pink-haired witches. When she saw no one, she growled beneath her breath.

"Oh no you don't, Sucy," Akko said, gritting her teeth. "You're not leaving just like that!"  
With that, the girl was off.

0-0-0-0-0

It was little past seven in the morning when the sun peaked over the treeline. Sucy stood alone on the Bridge of Caillte, overlooking the river. Beneath the bridge, all that remained of her ramshackle workshop were some acid burns on the stone and dead grass. All of Sucy's most prized possessions were stuffed into a suitcase no bigger than a large house cat; life would be hard on the open road, and Sucy had to travel light. Everything else had either been left at the orphanage or thrown away, pulled away by the tug of the river.

With a sigh, Sucy tossed the last of the glass vials into the river. She chucked it a little too hard, because instead of drifting away by the water current, it hit the river bottom below and shattered into pieces. She watched the glass shards flicker brilliantly beneath the clear water.

Sucy knew she could no longer stay at the Lotus Home. Even if she was alive again, even if Akko was free from the mushroom's influence, even if Akko forgave her, Sucy could not forgive herself. The words of the Moon still haunted Sucy, not for their twisted and toxic tongue but the undeniable truth laced among their lies.

 _You poisoned that innocent girl, the one you cherish the most, all for your own selfish gain. Sure, you may have warded off death and worse for now, but for how much longer? How can you be certain you won't try another misdeed the next time you feel threatened that Atsuko will leave you?_

Sucy's knuckles tightened. As much as she hated it, Akko would better off without her. Sure, Akko would cry and moan and miss the pink-haired witch, but this was for her own good. For their own good.

So why in the world was she still hanging around here? Even with the Moon's words ringing in her head, Sucy knew that deep in her soul, she wanted to stay. She wanted to stay, to be with Akko now and forever. Sucy gritted her teeth. Foolishness, utter foolishness. If she didn't leave now, she never would.

With a sigh, Sucy pushed off the railing. She had to go now, while her resolve remained strong. She bent down, grabbed her small suitcase, and turned to leave the Bridge and her home forever...

… when suddenly an all-too-familiar voice cried out.

"Sucy! There you are!"

Sucy turned, and her face paling, she saw Akko on the other side of the bridge. The brunette ran across the bridge before Sucy could even think to move, until Akko stopped a few feet from her. Leaves and petals fell off of the trees into the river, where they danced along the water's surface.

"Good, I found you!" Akko spoke first, as always. While Sucy fought for control of her tongue, the brunette pouted at her wayward friend.

"Darn it, Sucy! Don't scare me like that!" Akko said. She gave Sucy a light slap on the shoulder. "Is this some sorta prank? If so, its not very funny. I thought you really had run away!"

Akko crossed her arms and huffed to herself. "I demand you apologize. I won't forgive you otherwise."

A silence fell between them, the invisible wall that separated them as strong as ever. Sucy simply stared at her feet, unable to meet Akko in the eye. Eventually, Akko lightened up, her eyes opening wide.

"H-hey. I'm still mad, but I'm not that mad at yah, Sucy," Akko said. She reached out for Sucy. "Come on, tell me what's wrong? I promise I'll listen..."

Just as Akko's hand fell onto Sucy's shoulder, the pink-haired witch flinched. Her eyes flickering across Sucy's face for any clues, the brunette let her hand drop to her side. Sweat pouring from her brow, Sucy licked her lips, and with a whisper so faint that ghosts spoke clearer, she spoke.

"... sorry."

"What?" Akko said, her ears prickling.

Sucy whispered again, a little louder this time. "I'm sorry."

Akko cupped a hand over an ear. "Come again?"

Sucy sighed hard and clenched the bridge railing until her knuckles went white.

"I'm sorry, Akko." Sucy's voice came in loud and clear. "Its my fault you've been acting like a fool these past few days. My potion, I didn't realize it would–"

"Potion? What potion?"

Sucy finally turned her head, if only slightly so Akko could make out a glint of her red eye.

"... you're kidding me. What other potion would I mean? The purple one I gave you about a week ago."

"I have no idea what you mean." Akko shrugged and gave Sucy a hapless smile. "Honestly, the past few days are a blur to me, like I was lost in a pink fog. I don't remember any details, just feeling very hungry, very tired, and very cold. The only thing that made me feel warm and happy during that time was, well, you."

By the stars, Akko didn't remember a thing. Maybe she could use this? Maybe she could keep the whole thing a secret and explain the potion away? Maybe she still had a chance...

… but no. No, that wouldn't be right. Those were just the thoughts of a selfish girl desperate to cling to someone who deserved much better than her. The Moon was right. As much as Sucy loved Akko, longed for her, she knew that if she stayed, she would always regret it. If she truly loved her best friend, Sucy had to tell Akko the truth. So, her heart twisting up inside, Sucy began.

"There's... a good reason for that." Sucy stared at the winding river. It was easier than looking into those beautiful red eyes. "You see, the potion I gave you a few days ago... was a love potion. I didn't know it was a love potion at the time, but... I suspected it was."

Sucy crossed her arms, gripping herself tightly as she leaned on the bridge. Her voice strained, as if invisible fingers were choking her to keep the secret hidden, but Sucy continued anyways.

"It made you... it made you love me. Endlessly. Fanatically. It made it so you could barely do anything but fawn over me, like eat or sleep. If I hadn't killed the Fairy last night, then you would have... would have..."

Images of a fallen holly, those empty eyes, and that skeleton smile flashed through Sucy's mind. Sucy gritted her teeth until her gums nearly bled.

"... well, it wouldn't have been anything good."

Sucy paused to see if Akko had anything to say to that. The brunette was silent. The pink-haired girl felt colder, like her body was submerged in ice water threatening to drown her, but she pushed through all the same.

"A-anyways, I wanted to apologize for that. That's what the letter was for. I, I honestly didn't feel like I could say it to your face. I don't deserve that much..."

That got a reaction out of Akko, whose voice cracked. "Y-You mentioned something like that in the note. Sucy, why would you think that? I–?"

"That's why I've decided to leave. I don't have a home here anymore. I just, I just..."

That's when Akko noticed it: as Sucy took the suitcase in hand, her face was stained red with dried tears. Sucy turned to Akko, struggling to keep her voice level, but cracking all the same.

"But you, you gave me a home, Akko. You are, were my best friend." Sucy's lips were twisted into a tortured grin. "Thank you. Goodbye."

With that, Sucy turned and ran.

Or rather, attempted to run. The pink-haired witch only reached the edge of the bridge before a hand clamped onto her wrist. Sucy's head jerked back, tears streaming from her eyes and met Akko's own wet face. Before she could utter anything other than a confused mumble, Akko started on her.

"Don't you dare run away!" Akko shouted, gripping Sucy's wrist tightly. "You're always running away, Sucy! First you push me away, now this? Sucy, I might not be the sharpest tool in the crayon box, but you can be a real dummy sometimes!"

"Wha-? But the love potion..."

"I don't care about all that stuff! It was just a prank gone awry, right?" Akko tightened her grip and shrugged. "Well, I _do_ care, but you fixed me before I did anything serious, right?"

"O-of course! I couldn't take advantage when you were loopy like that."

"Then its all water under the bridge! You made a mistake, you regret it and you've learned from it, so move on! That's how I learn, anyway." Planting both hands on Sucy's shoulders, Akko's red orbs peered into Sucy's. The pink-haired witch had never seen them burn so bright before. "So tell me the real reason. What is this all really about?"

"I-I don't know, I never..."

"Sucy..." Akko said. "Tell me! You know you can tell me anything. That's why we're friends."

"... fine."

Sucy's shoulders slumped. There was little hope for a clean getaway now, if there ever was one. How foolish, how naive to think she could leave without seeing Akko again. If she was lucky, maybe Akko would be so stunned by the truth to give Sucy a running head start. Ether way, it was time to bite the bullet..

In a soft whisper, Sucy said, "I love you. I love you, Atsuko Kagari."

There, it was said. It was said and Sucy could never take it back, would never take it back. She could hide from the orphanage, the whole world, and even Akko, but Sucy could never hide it from herself. She loved Akko Kagari, from the stupid way she practiced magic and she loved Shiny Chrysanthemum to the stupid way she scrunched her face after Sucy pranked her and how she smiled at Sucy every morning. She loved the brunette's silly mistakes and silly dreams and silly, silly laugh. She loved the idiotic jokes Akko told, her idiotic love for adventure, and how her idiot hand fit so perfectly into Sucy's own.

And if that all made Sucy an idiot too, then plant a dunce on her head and call her a grade-A moron, because Sucy loved this stupid, beautiful girl.

Slowly, Sucy felt Akko's hands gently let go of her shoulders. Her lips opened and closed repeatedly. She braced herself, ready to turn tail and run, until Akko spoke.

"Oh. Is that all?" Akko said. She smiled brightly. "Geez, you had me scared there for a moment! I thought you had gone and killed someone while I was all loopy."

Sucy opened her mouth. She closed her mouth. She opened it again.

"What."

"I mean, I cannot say I feel exactly the same way right now," Akko said, balancing from one foot to the next. A faint blush rose on her face. "Buuuut-! I wouldn't mind feeling that way about you too."

"... what?"

Akko rolled her eyes with a faint smile, reached forward and took Sucy by the hands. As usual, Sucy's hands were chilly, but they warmed right up. "Ah geez, do I really have to say it? I like you, Sucy! You're my best friend. So if you want to be more than that, I can give it a try."

Sucy blinked. She couldn't believe it. Akko... Akko was giving her a chance? She wasn't disgusted or angry or wanted Sucy to disappear off the face of the earth? She couldn't help but cry, trembling as she did so.

Still, an image of the Moon lingered in her mind, and Sucy said, "But what if I hurt you again? I couldn't stand to see you suffer, not like that. I-I'm a bad person..."

Akko just squeezed her hands and shook her head. She gave Sucy a brilliant grin.

"Nope! You're definitely a good person, Sucy. I can just tell." Akko winked at the pink-haired witch. "Like I said before, so long as you learned your lesson, then I forgive you. If you ever have anything you wanna say to me, then say it! I'm here to listen and respect you for all its worth."

Sucy looked at Akko, the morning sun gleaming at her perfectly imperfect best friend. The pink-haired witch had no idea if this was a good idea. Surely one day she would hurt Akko again, and Akko would do the same. But perhaps that was okay? Everyone made mistakes, and so long as they did everything in their power to overcome them, and she and Akko never stopped listening to each other, they could work through it. No one died without a few scars, but that was just proof that they were truly alive.

With a sigh, Sucy fell into Akko, who caught her in her arms. She hugged Akko tightly, who returned the embrace.

"Thank you... thank you, Akko" Sucy said. "I will never run away again."

"Heh, of course not!" Akko said, as she looked up at the warm sky in the boundless blue sky. In the growing light of the day, it was hard to see, but their Flower Hearts shined together in harmony. "Because I'll always be two steps behind to drag you back home."

The two girls remained together on the bridge for some time, simply caught in each other's embrace. They talked for some time, about Sucy's adventure and the creatures she met, about their future together, and whatever else came to mind. They had each other, and that was enough. And though the morning sun filled the sky with its light, the silver eye of the moon watched over head. Perhaps, for once, its crescent grin was a kind smile upon the Earth and its the two witches.

But that is something no one will truly know.


End file.
